Broodmare
/ˈbruːdˌmɛər/noun
A mare kept for breeding.
Did you know?The first element, brood, comes from Old English *brōd* meaning offspring or young, while mare traces back to Old English *mære*, so the word is a plain, ancient compound with no hidden spell — just the language of lineage.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
English
brōd
“offspring, young; later, a nestful of young birds”
Old English
English
mære
“female horse, mare”
Middle English
English
broodmare
“a mare kept for breeding”
Modern English
English
broodmare
“a mare used to produce foals”